More than 1,000 Athletes of All Abilities Expected to Compete at Annual Unified Sports® Fall Festival

Special Olympics Connecticut will host its annual Unified Sports® Fall Festival presented by the Mohegan Tribe on Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th. More than 1,000 athletes of all abilities from across the state are expected to compete in bocce, golf, softball and croquet throughout the weekend, supported by hundreds of volunteers and coaches. The event will also feature opening ceremonies at several venues and Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® offerings for participants. Fall Festival events are open to the public and free to attend. For more information, visit soct.org, call 203-230-1201, or email info@soct.org. And follow Special Olympics Connecticut on Facebook and Instagram.

Sports and locations where competition will take place from 8:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. include:

Subscribe

Bocce at Old Grove Bocce Courts, 1 Oak Street, West Haven on Saturday and Sunday, with an opening ceremony on Saturday at 9 a.m.

Croquet at the Ocean House, 1 Bluff Avenue, Westerly, Rhode Island on Saturday and Sunday, with opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and 9:15 a.m. on Sunday

Golf at Sleeping Giant Golf Course, 3931 Whitney Avenue, Hamden on Sunday only, with an opening ceremony at 1 p.m.

Softball at the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Club, 200 Clement Road, East Hartford on Saturday and Sunday (no opening ceremony)

As part of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® program, Fall Festival participants at bocce may visit a Healthy Habits station, which will offer education in nutrition and hydration on Saturday and personal hygiene on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those at the softball venue can participate in Healthy Athletes® Strong Minds activities that promote mental and emotional well-being in between their games on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to the Mohegan Tribe, sponsors of the Unified Sports® Fall Festival include Gold Sponsors - Ocean House, RIVA, West Haven, and the Steven J. Suzio Memorial Golf Tournament, Bronze Sponsors - Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates, P.C., the PGA - Connecticut Section, the Singer Family, and Stop & Shop.

Supporting Sponsors are the City of West Haven, the Dime Bank Foundation, Peter DiNardo Enterprises, and the Walter Camp Foundation, and Contributing Sponsors - Centreville Bank, Chelsea Groton Bank Foundation and Niantic Lions Club.

About Special Olympics Connecticut

Special Olympics Connecticut provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities for nearly 14,000 athletes of all ages with intellectual disabilities and Unified Sports® partners - their teammates without disabilities. Through the joy of sport, the Special Olympics movement transforms lives and communities throughout the state and in 200 countries around the world by promoting good health and fitness and inspiring inclusion and respect for people of all abilities, on and off the playing field. (www.soct.org)

Partner Sponsors: The Connecticut Elks Association, Enterprise, ESPN, Eversource, Foxwoods Resort Casino, the Knights of Columbus, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Mohegan Tribe, NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut, Pratt & Whitney - an RTX business, and Webster Bank.

Year-Round Suppliers: Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Hearst Connecticut Media Group, N&D Sports, Pepperidge Farm, and WORX.